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July 8, 1998

Hearing judges oppose N-dump

By GREG HARMANStaff WriterThe State Office of Administrative Hearings advised the
Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission on Tuesday
not to approve certification of a proposed low-level
radioactive waste dump to be located five miles southeast of
Sierra Blanca.

Though the TNRCC has voiced support of the site in the past,
the two administrative law judges gave the site the thumbs
down after reviewing weeks of state hearing testimony.

The judges charged that the state Low-Level Radioactive
Waste Disposal Authority did not adequately determine
whether a fault line located beneath the proposed dump
location was connected to an active fault elsewhere in the
state. They further stressed that the LLRWDA did not take in
proper account the damage the site may do to the local
economy.

Texas Governor George Bush said he was troubled by the
judge's findings, but agreed that "if the site is not proven
safe, I will not support it." He urged the TNRCC "to
thoroughly review this recommendation and the facts and to
make their decision based on sound science and the health
and safety of Texans."

Marvin Resnikov, a doctor of physics and Radioactive Waste
Management Association employee, whose services were
retained by dump opponents, Sierra Blanca Legal Defense
Fund, was surprised by the news. Resnikov, disqualified as
an expert witness by the LLRWDA after he refused the $70 a
day compensation for testimony, said, "I was astounded by
the decision. After they threw me out of the proceedings, I
figured the fix was in."

The concern of Resnikov and other dump opponents is also
with the geological activity of West Texas. "The Mexico City
earthquake in 1985 opened fissures near the site. We are
worried that new earthquakes would form a new arroyo,
sending contaminated water into the aquifer."

The site is located 120 miles southwest of Pecos and about
100 miles west of the epicenter of a 5.3 magnitude
earthquake which struck West Texas in April of 1995. A
smaller quake occurred in the same area, between Alpine and
Marfa, this past April.

The area's representative in the Texas Legislature, Pete
Gallego, said in a press release that the decision "renews
my faith in the system. While proponents claimed that the
geologic fault out here has not moved in 780,000 years,
those of us living in West Texas know an earthquake when we
feel one -- and we've felt a few over the last several years.

"Some people thought a ruling could be bought. They were
wrong. Our state government is not for sale," said Gallego,
D-Alpine.

The earthquake fears are a concern that the LLRWDA does not
share. In a prepared statement, the LLRWDA stated that it
has proposed a "safe and suitable site" which should be
constructed as recommended. Noting that the judge's agreed
with the LLRWDA on 15 of 17 key points, the Authority vowed
to "redouble its efforts to satisfy the two issues."

One hydrologist employed by the Bureau of Economic Geology
to study the Hudspeth County area for three years said the
benefits of that study would "prove to be significant in
future efforts of the state to develop and manage the
ground-water resources of the Trans-Pecos" even if the
Sierra Blanca site is not approved.

The administrative law judges agree with the LLRWDA that
there is a need for such a facility in Texas, but no
preferable alternatives have been made. The judges further
recommended that, should the TNRCC approve the location as
presented, the draft license "should be modified to clarify
that the facility could accept waste containing a total of
no more than 1 million-curies of radioactivity over the
20-year license term.

Supporters and opponents of the proposed Hudspeth County
site have until July 27 to respond to the recommendation.

The TNRCC, which has not set a date for their decision on
the license, may now accept or deny certification of the
location. A third option allows for the TNRCC to require
further research of the area by the LLRWDA.

"I expect TNRCC to act on this by Labor Day and I would be
shocked if they awarded a license anyway," Gallego said.

The administrative hearings that began in January last year,
have been marked by sporadic protests by Mexican officials
and North American activists. Other opponents have included
Greenpeace Mexico, International Alliance of the Bravo,
Sierra Club - El Paso Group, Texas and Pacific Land Trust,
the Public Interest Council of the TNRCC, and Culberson, El
Paso and Presidio counties.

Site supporters include Houston Lighting & Power, Texas
Utilities Electric Co., executive director of the TNRCC, and
the LLRWDA.

Rodeo week part of Geographic project

By JON FULBRIGHTStaff Writer Pecos and its people have been added to the many places
William Allard has documented across the American West,
after the longtime National Geographic photographer spent
last week here in preparation for a feature on rodeos that
should be in the magazine sometime in 1999.

Allard spent the week in town covering not only the West of
the Pecos Rodeo, but the accompanying events throughout the
day.

"I was up at 6 one morning and didn't get finished until 2
the next morning," he said during an interview last Friday,
midway through the rodeo's four-night run. "I started at 8
a.m. at the Old-Timers Reunion (on July 1) and finished at
the Reeves County Sheriff's Posse dance at 2 o'clock. By the
time I got to bed, it was closer to 3 a.m."

The Pecos rodeo is about midway through the 1998 season
Allard is documenting for National Geographic, which will
conclude with the National Finals Rodeo at the end of the
year.

"I almost started in December (1997), but I said `That's
doing the story backwards,' I felt, why go to Las Vegas in
December when none of the rodeo cowboys knows me?

"If I do it (the National Finals Rodeo) in December, 1998,
at the end of my coverage, not just Ty Murray but the other
cowboys in the Top 15 will have seen me around," Allard said.

As a result, his coverage started in Tucson in February,
where the weather also became a factor. "I picked Arizona
because it was a nice outdoor rodeo at a good time with good
light, but when I got there it was that wildly El Nino
weather, with driving rain so hard it was coming in at a
slant. It was really bad, and I never really got the light I
was hoping for."

Allard finally got some of the evening light he was seeking
on the final two nights of the West of the Pecos Rodeo, when
the clouds disappeared after hanging around the area last
Tuesday through Thursday.

"I was hoping to get the light from the western sunset, but
when it clouded up it cut off the afternoon light," he said,
while adding. "It doesn't make that much of a difference
when the rodeo starts at 8:30. I was hoping to get the right
kind of light for the (grand) entry, but once the rodeo gets
going it doesn't matter what type of light you have."

"One thing I noticed about the (Buck Jackson) arena is it's
an awfully big arena. The bucking stock goes straight to the
back instead of staying near the chutes," said Allard, who
was concentrating on the roughtstock at the rodeo.

"This is the first time I've been out on the arena floor in
a while. In Tucson it was so bad, I was almost wearing hip
boots," he said. "I'm almost 60 years old and don't move as
fast as I used to."

Still, being around the rodeo performers over the course of
the year is important when the National Finals Rodeo rolls
around in December.

"It's very important to my work for my subjects to get
accustomed to my presence as it is for me to get accustomed
to them," he said. "I'm hoping with the space I get in the
magazine (Allard was expecting the article to cover about 24
pages) I hope I can come up with the images that give you a
feel of rodeo life."

While the project itself will cover a 10½-month period,
Allard said he's only spending part of that time on the road
with the cowboys. "We're on a tighter budget than we used to
be at Geographic. In the past We would take about five
months to do this thing. This is spread out for eight weeks
over the year, but that's still a lot."

The budget cuts may have also helped steer Allard towards
the West of the Pecos Rodeo. "I was planning to go to one of
the indoor rodeos in Houston or San Antonio, but I've never
liked the lighting in the Astrodome," he said. "With the
cutbacks, I didn't go there, and later I realized I was
doing a rodeo feature without doing a rodeo in Texas."

Allard was busy every day photographing both the rodeo
cowboys and the fans in attendance. "I might shoot 10 rolls
one night and shoot 25 another," he said, though only a
fraction of those will eventually make it into print.

"I have no idea pictures are going to be used. I take this
and that picture, but I'm going to end up using less than
two dozen," he said. "I'll try to get the geographic balance
as best as I can."

Allard said over the next several weeks, he planned to cover
the Calgary Stampede as well as rodeos in Cheynne, Wyo. and
Salinas, Calif. He also planned to attend a smaller rodeo in
Montana, though the shorter rodeos create scheduling
problems.

"You have to eat up a week in-between," he said. "Pecos,
with a four-day rodeo and two days of slack gives me time to
get use to the arena and use to the lighting."

The 59-year-old Allard has spent 34 years working for
National Geographic, the first and last three as a staff
member while working as a freelancer between 1967 and 1996.
Many of a photo essays during that period focused on the
West, and culminated in his 1982 book `Vanishing Breed.'

"It's now considered a classic," he said. "The National
Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City gave it the award for
Outstanding Western Book of the Year. I've got the bronze
award standing on my bookcase. It's the one I'm the most
proud of in my career.

"The book stayed in print for 11 years, which is a long time
for a photo book" he added.

The rodeo feature is part of a return to the western motif
for Allard, whose lives in Charlottesville, Va., and whose
most recent assignments have included trips to Mexico,
Central and South America.

"Peru especially has been a subject for met. I met my
current wife down there," he said. "I just returned to the
West in January working in the Missouri Breaks country (in
Montana)."

However, Allard said he doesn't travel as much as in the
past, and the Missouri Breaks and rodeo projects are just a
brief return to the West.

"I don't expect to continue to do more western subjects. I
don't know what I'll do next," he said. "I feel so lucky. I
love what I do now more than when I started, but in order to
keep loving it and to flourish you can't go to the same well
all the time."

Judge Bunton takes guilty pleas

BY PEGGY McCRACKENStaff WriterSenior Judge Lucius Bunton cleared most of his July docket
Monday by accepting guilty pleas in 21 criminal cases,
finding another guilty after denying his motion to suppress
evidence, and issuing warrants for two defendants who failed
to appear for trial.

He also granted one motion to suppress evidence and granted
the government's motion to dismiss charges in another, then
presided for jury selection in two cases.

Returning early today for the first jury trial, Judge Bunton
found the defendant ready to plead guilty. Jesus Jose
Briones, 37, of Ojinaga, Mex., admitted using a false
document when entering the United States at the Presidio
Port of Entry on April 28.

Jurors in a second case, which had been scheduled to begin
at 1 p.m., were notified of the change in plans and asked to
arrive as soon as possible. In that case, Carlos
Solis-Colmenero, 83, and Lucila Dominguez, 61, of
Cuauhtemoc, Chi., Mex., are accused of importing and
possessing 148 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute
on April 10.

Their attorneys are Paul Escobar and Frank Brown.

Judge Bunton granted a motion to suppress evidence in the
marijuana importing and possessing charge against Rutilio
Valdespino, 28, of Odessa. His co-defendant, Letty Jo
Esparza, 32, of Odessa, pleaded guilty to importing 106
pounds of marijuana on April 23.

Judge Bunton granted a motion for mental examination for
Juan Reza-Pedroza, 34, of Mexico City, who is charged with
importing and possessing marijuana on April 27.

He issued warrants for Teofilo Meraz Carrasco, 70, of Kermit
and Mario Dionisio Rivera, 18, of Odessa. Rivera allegedly
imported 356.05 pounds of marijuana on April 9, while
Carrasco is charged with importing 27 pounds on April 9.

Those who entered guilty pleas will be sentenced on Sept. 21.

Council to discuss joining water district

The Pecos City Council will meet tomorrow morning to
consider joining with county and agriculture forces in the
formation of an underground water district.

Herman Tarin, County Commissioner for Precinct 3, will brief
the council on the benefits a district may represent.

If created, the district would allow local entities great
control over the use and/or conservation of underground
water supplies within the area.

Other items on the agenda include: discussion of demolition
of building at 101 South Ash Street; consideration of a
policy for street closures; appointment of an assistant city
manager; and review of Police Chief Clay McKinney's
performance after his initial six months of service.

The meeting will take place at 7:30 a.m. in the council
chambers at City Hall.

Band directors pacts, taxes on agenda

Contracts and salaries for the Pecos High School head band
director and for middle school band directors will be
discussed at the regular Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD board
meeting scheduled for 6 p.m., Thursday.

The group will meet at the board room, 1304 S. Park St., to
discuss an agenda filled with important items.

Board members will discuss and approve the high school,
middle school and elementary handbooks and Student Code of
Conduct for the 1998-99 school year. They will also approve
a Records Management Officer, discuss a gifted/talented
cooperative with Region 18 Education Service Center. and
review bids for fuel, milk and bread.

Other items on the agenda include:

* Discuss/approve records retention plan.

* Discuss/approve 1997-98 budget amendments.

* Discuss/approve adoption of TASB Tax Anticipation Note
(TAN) resolution authorizing the district to issue a tax and
revenue anticipation note pursuant to the 1998 program.

The group will also meet in closed session to discuss
personnel or hear complaints against personnel.
***

Laurentino Belmares, 27, was arrested at 9 p.m., on July 2,
at the Buck Jackson Rodeo Arena, for public intoxication and
a probation violation on a D.W.I. charge. He was transported
to Reeves County Jail.
***

Pete Morales, 60, was arrested at 9:18 p.m., on July 2,
behind the Old Bozeman western clothing store on 3rd Street,
for public intoxication. He was transported to Reeves County
Jail.
***

Joseph Urias, 23, was arrested at 11 p.m., on July 2, at the
Buck Jackson Rodeo Arena, on a warrant. He was transported
to Reeves County Jail.
***

Cerna Dante, 19, was arrested at 8:40 p.m., on July 3, at
the corner of Sycamore and 8th streets, on warrant for
criminal mischief. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***

Genaro Mendoza, 40, was arrested at 10:30 p.m., on July 3,
at the Buck Jackson Rodeo Arena, for public intoxication. He
was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***

Araceli Hernandez, 35, was arrested at 12:53 a.m., on July
4, in the 1000 block of Oak Street, for assault under the
Family Violence Act. She was transported to Reeves County
Jail.
***

Justin Millan, 17, Matthew Millan, 17, and Oscar Rodriguez,
18, were arrested at 1:52 a.m., on July 4, in the 1200 block
of Eddy Street, for public intoxication. They were
transported to Reeves County Jail.
***

Victor Saenz, 29, was arrested at 2:45 a.m., on July 5, at
Riverside Ballroom, for public intoxication. He was
transported to Reeves County Jail.
***

Stacy Dodson, 26, W.O. Gabrel, 30, James Long, 32, Michael
Phillips, 31, and John Shelton, 30, were arrested at 2:49
a.m., on July 5, in the Cedar Street, for a sexual assualt.
They were transported to Reeves County Jail.
***

Fernando Vela, 38, was arrested at 3:45 a.m., on July 5, at
Motel 6, 3002 South Cedar Street, for failure to identify
himself. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***

Jesse Garcia, 33, was arrested at 3:55 a.m., on July 5, in
the 600 block of North Main Street, for public intoxication.
He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***

Oscar Hernandez, 27, was arrested at 4:28 a.m., on July 5,
at the corner of 11th and Cedar streets, on D.P.S. warrants.
He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***

Marcos Rayos, 58, was arrested at 6:22 p.m., on July 5, in
the 1000 block of 8th Street, on a warrant for assault
causing bodily injury. He was transported to Reeves County
Jail.
***

Jessica Hill, 38, was arrested at 7:37 p.m., on July 5, at
the Swiss Clock Inn, for public intoxication. She was
transported to Reeves County Jail.
***

Peter Mendoza, 29, was arrested at 1:29 p.m., on July 6, for
an MTR warrant. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***

Julian Olivas, 43, was arrested at 10:30 p.m., on July 6, at
2205 Barilla Road, for terroristic threat. He was
transported to Reeves County Jail.

Obituaries

Roland Johnson

Roland Harry Johnson, 51, died Sunday, July 5, 1998, at the
Veterans Hospital in Big Spring.

Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday at
Fairview Cemetery with Reverend Bill Foster officiating.

He was born March 19, 1947, in Miami, Fla., had been in the
U.S. Army and a longtime Pecos resident.

Survivors include one brother, Chuck C. Mount of Pecos and
one sister from Lewisville.

Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Edna Mallick

Services are incomplete for Edna James Mallick, 87, of
Midland who died Wednesday, July 8, 1998 at Westwood
Hospital.

Garvin Passmore, Jr.

He was born June 2, 1923, in Birden, N.M., had been in the
United States Air Force and was a farmer.

Survivors include two sons, John Passmore of Venezuela,
James Passmore of El Paso, one daughter, Stephanie Passmore
of Pecos; one brother, Tom Passmore of Midland and eight
grandchildren.
Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.